Cadet
by Tsuchi
Summary: Complete!Basically this is a story of a girl, who goes to the future, and falls in love with Icheb. The problem is that Q2, also has a thing for poor Icheb, and is willing to do anything to get him, even take away the girl he obviously loves back.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own 1 character in this. All of the others are not mine, but I'm sure you knew that. On with the story!!!  
  
Frances smiled, smelling the air of Starfleet Academy, as she walked through the dew covered lawn. My first day as a cadet! Wouldn't Kathleen laugh to see me now? She thought, making a small dance among the other, older students. Kathleen was her younger sister, who had predicted, years ago, that Frances would come to this place. What was funny, and a well-kept secret, was that Kathleen had not only said is years ago, but was years ago.  
  
Frances had come, through a great accident that even she couldn't figure out, from the 21st century. Her sister was dead, obviously, but she couldn't find out any more than that. The records had all been destroyed in the third world war. Frances wasn't too distressed, though, seeing as how she'd known, the second she'd found out when she was, that her family would be dead.  
  
"Come on, Ichi!" Frances turned her head, recognizing the name. She had, back home, been an avid Trekker, and knew Q2's nickname for Icheb easily. One of the things that had surprised and delighted her upon arrival at Deep Space Nine, about ten months ago, was that the characters she had laughed and cried with as a child, and young adult, were alive, and indeed real. And here were two more, within a two second sprint, ones she had especially liked watching.  
  
Q2 was bouncing on his heels, light brown hair bouncing as he waited for the calm Brunali to catch up, before sprinting ahead, and waiting again. He had clad himself in a cadet's uniform identical to Icheb's. Frances dearly wanted to go and introduce herself (she had had a crush on Icheb from the moment she saw him), but hung back, unable to reveal her past.  
  
Actually, the only one who knew was the Bajoran who had found her. Frances didn't want to go home, this was far too exciting. Fenari Benlet, her savior, and best friend in these times, had, after admitting that Starfleet would probably send her home if they knew when she was from, had agreed to keep her secret, and help her with the time change as best he could.  
  
He had kept both his promises as best he could. He had helped her with how to use pads, and all sorts of technology that she didn't have in 2004, and helped her make a deal with the Ferengi on the Station, so she could have fake papers to get into Starfleet Academy. Unfortunately, he hadn't come with her. She was going to have to learn faster than ever before if she wanted to stay hidden.  
  
She continued on, heading to the Information desk, to find her classes. Frances had found that the Academy was a lot like University. There were various lecture halls that you could go to, or not, if you felt like it; there was dormitories, but you could find residence elsewhere.  
  
She had several pads, piled in her arms, by the time she was ready to go to her first class. Turning suddenly in the crowded hallways, she cried out in surprise, as she collided with someone, and the pads went flying from her arms. No one stopped, except for the person she had crashed into, though people gave them a wide berth, and were careful not to step on the pads. Frances shook her head, and began collecting up the pads, pausing as she noticed another set of hands, picking up her pads.  
  
Having been raised to be polite, she looked up to thank the owner of the slightly scarred hands. She gasped, hiding it quickly, as she saw whom it was. Icheb looked up as well, hearing her reaction. He handed her the pads he had collected so far, and said, very seriously, "You dropped these."  
  
Frances laughed slightly, and took them. "Thank you. Um... were you the one I bumped into?" Icheb nodded. "Sorry about that, I should have looked where I was going." Frances could see her reflection in his eyes. The blue eyes whose hue changed when she wore her glasses, which were perched on her nose; the wild dark brown hair that refused to stay in the elastic; the slight body, with muscles that had often been described as made of pudding. Compared to Icheb, tall, cut, and controlled, she looked small, and generally out of sorts.  
  
"Are you a new student?" Icheb asked, standing, and looking down at her as they finished picking up the pads.  
  
"Yes." Frances didn't elaborate. She would have been quite content to ogle at him from afar. "Um... weren't you with someone outside? I couldn't help but notice." She didn't want to seem too interested, but Q2 was a very interesting subject.  
  
"I was, but Q2 isn't allowed inside the buildings."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The last time he sent a whole class to the inside of a star for 'first- hand experience'. He's not allowed to go into the buildings where large numbers of students congregate, now."  
  
"Which, I might add, is a little unfair. I said I wouldn't do it again." A voice came out of nowhere, somewhere near Icheb's shoulder.  
  
"Q2..." Icheb's voice had an edge of warning in it.  
  
"Hey!" the voice sounded not only offended, but also young. Icheb's eyes closed, and he sighed. Frances could have sworn she saw his pale cheeks color, as he said, reluctantly:  
  
"Q-ball..."  
  
"Yes?" The voice was smug.  
  
"Go outside."  
  
"But it's boring outside!! If you let me stay I won't make any noise." Q2 pleaded.  
  
"No, go outside."  
  
Frances stood uncomfortably for a few minutes, before deciding it was best she go. "I'll let you two sort that out, and get going to my Astronomy class." She set off in the direction she thought, from the map, was right. Silence followed her, until breath on her neck signified someone was watching her. Before she could look around, the voice of Q2 spoke, at the same time, as he turned her body manually.  
  
"You're going the wrong way, Astronomy's that way. Follow Icheb, he's in your class."  
  
"Why's he in my class? Wouldn't he be in a higher class?" she whispered, since the Q was.  
  
"I'm sorry, I said that wrong. He'd not in your class, he's teaching your class." Frances' mouth opened in a small o as she realized just how much she would be seeing of the former Borg. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Only one of the characters is mine (if that). Sue me if you have a problem.  
  
A/N: Thank you! Thank you! My first reviewers!! Yay! This is my first Star Trek fanfic, so thanks for the support. Unfortunately, for you, Marie Sheppard, I need Icheb to play a romantic role, so you'll have to relinquish hold for a while. And many thanks, Thomas J, I only first tried out this writing style for the first chapter, so I'm glad others think it turned out well. On to chapter 2!! ~.o  
  
Icheb neatly stacked the pads he would need on the desk of the lecture hall. Almost all of the students were here, shifting nervously. Only one was missing, a Frances Henry.  
  
His eyebrows rose as the girl he had bumped into in the hall opened the door to the hall, and went to one of the empty seats, near the front. All of the empty seats were nearer to the front; apparently something's never changed. Icheb had read that it was human custom to sit near the back, so that if a student fell asleep, or was talking to his or her friends, the teacher was less likely to notice.  
  
Miss. Henry's eyes shifted to her shoulder, and she mouthed, or maybe whispered, something. She giggled slightly, and some of her hair moved in a non-existent wind. Q2 never went outside. He's right beside her shoulder, he thought. Frances looked up at him, blinking. He averted his gaze. I don't know for sure... I won't be able to force him out if he pretends he's not there. It was mildly annoying how Q2 wouldn't follow the rules, especially since no one could enforce them.  
  
But nevertheless, there wasn't anything he could do, so he continued with the lesson, but tried as hard as he could not to look for the Q he knew he wouldn't see. Mostly, what he taught wasn't too difficult, but he could see at least a few cadets who looked completely lost, including the girl whom he'd bumped into. If Q was helping her, she either wasn't paying attention, or was doing badly even with his help.  
  
When the lesson was over, he decided to find out once and for all if Q was hanging around the girl. "Miss. Henry?" he called out, catching the girl just before she went out the door. She came back, and looked nervous. "Miss. Henry, I must ask a question to the thin air, I hope you don't mind." He looked past her, to where Q probably was. "Q? Are you there?" There was no response. Well, it was worth a try... Icheb turned back to the young woman. Now he needed a reason to have called her back. "Miss. Henry, you seemed to be struggling during class, if you need help, I would suggest asking for some."  
  
"Yes, sir." She nodded, then dashed from the room. Icheb looked down at his notes, wondering if he had imagined Miss. Henry talking over her shoulder. His papers were piled neatly on the desk, except for one paper. Some of the papers for the next lecture were not in order, and one was nearly falling off the pile. "Q..." he muttered, stacking them correctly. "I know you're here..."  
  
******  
  
Frances gasped for breath outside of the of her dorm room; she wasn't very fit. Icheb had been right when he'd said she'd been struggling in class; she hadn't just been struggling, she'd been completely lost. She had never thought, before coming here, that anything could be harder than Chemistry. Apparently, she was wrong. She had found every class today incredibly hard. She sighed, leaning against the wall. How am I going to survive this? She thought, despairing, as she entered the perfectly clean room. She noticed, as she carefully dropped the multitude of pads on the table, a message for her. She watched it; it was Benlet, wanting to know how her first day had gone. I'm going to tell him it went horrible... right after I take a shower. There is no way I'm looking like I got run over by a Mac truck. She sighed, heading into the sonic shower, and giggled remembering the look on Benlet's face, when she walked out of the sonic shower in a towel, and asked him to show her how to turn it on. Rubbing her shoulders, she let the stress of the day wash away, and stepped out feeling better than when she went in. Smiling, and humming slightly, she put a well-placed call, or transmission, Frances figured she should say, to Benlet.  
  
******  
  
Q sat back on a gas cloud somewhere near Betelgeuse, and frowned. There was something decidedly odd about that girl. As fun as she possibly could be to mess around with, Icheb had talked to her, and just about told her he would be willing to help her in astronomy. That could seriously take away from fun time. Not to mention that fact that something in the way she talked reminded him of Lt. Paris, another odd one, who might have seriously taken away from fun time. What is it about that girl? He thought furiously, wondering what about her made her think of some of Tom Paris' twentieth century holoprograms. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Only one of the characters is mine (if that). Sue me if you have a problem.  
  
A/N: I have been having people ask me about Frances' apparent complete lack of remorse when it comes to her family being dead. Keep in mind: She has been in the twenty-fourth century for almost a year. It's not that she doesn't care; she finished mourning. Um... also, forgive me if I use the wrong terms for things. The episodes I saw, I saw a long time ago. This fanfic is actually overdue by about a year. But now: To the Bat Cave!!!  
  
Frances tapped the edge of her pad angrily, while Benlet tried to explain the basis behind warp theory. "I don't get this." She said, tossing away the pad. Her thoughts kept wandering, which didn't help. She couldn't help wondering where her functional warp drive pad had gone. She thought back to every classroom and lecture hall she had visited that day, and couldn't imagine where she'd lost it.  
  
"I know, but if you want to get into Starfleet, you're going to have to memorize it, even if you don't understand it." Benlet was reviewing his own notes on Deep Space Nine, on the other side of the screen. "Why are you in Starfleet, anyway? I know," he said quickly, forestalling the 'have you been listening' look before it started. "you want to be Ship's Historian, but why? If you're so bad at everything but history, why do you want to be in Starfleet?"  
  
"I don't know anymore..." Francis really thought for the first time about why she applied in the first place. "I always wanted to be in Starfleet, but I guess I never thought that I wouldn't be good at it. It seems stupid, going into something that I wasn't good at in the twentieth century, now, when everything is so much more complicated. It's just always been my dream, even before I came here."  
  
"Well, I know that feeling. I wanted to be the Emissary. Don't laugh." Francis had let out a giggle from the Academy, "I really did. I used to pretend to be Captain Sisko all the time. Now, I know that I couldn't have done a better job than he does."  
  
"Yeah." Francis giggled, picturing Benlet as the Emissary. "No kidding." There was a pause in the conversation, then, and Frances heard the doorbell of her quarters sound. "One sec." She got up, abandoning the pads, and went to the door, opening it. She blinked; surely she was dreaming. Why was Professor Icheb at her door?  
  
"You forgot this." He handed her a pad. Frances looked at it; it was the warp drive pad that she'd lost.  
  
"Thanks, I need this." She flushed slightly, looking up. Icheb's gaze was going past her, to Benlet, waiting for her to come back.  
  
"Perhaps, you should be studying, rather than socializing."  
"I am studying. I just don't get it; he's helping me." Frances thought back to the twentieth century, when her dad had used to have two- hour study periods every night. They had been useful when she had a lot of homework, but a nuisance when she didn't. I'm going to have to make a two- hour study period for myself, if I have any hope of getting through this.  
  
"Miss. Henry." Icheb's gaze was focused on her, but he seemed confused. "If you don't 'get it', why are you in Starfleet Academy?"  
  
"I want to be Ship's Historian."  
  
"Ah. Well." Icheb seemed at a loss for words, and Frances had the insane notion to giggle madly. She didn't, though her lip twitched slightly. "Well," he continued, "then, I hope you 'get it' soon."  
  
"Thank you." Icheb backed out of the door. He was flustered, though he didn't know why. He walked back to his own quarters, and entered, leaning heavily against the bulkhead. He closed his eyes for a second. There was a slight humming, that Icheb heard, when his thoughts went blank.  
  
The Brunali opened his eyes, to see Q2 playing with a medical tricorder, clad in a medical officer's uniform.  
  
"Hmmm." The Q looked down at the readings. "Accelerated heat rate, and pulse, high heat levels near the skin." Q2 put his wrist to Icheb's forehead. "You have a fever, you'd better call off classes tomorrow." He said this in all seriousness. Icheb glared at the Q who had been his friend and constant companion since the Delta Quadrant (whether he liked it or not).  
  
"I do not have a fever. I am fine." Icheb walked a perfectly straight line, past Q2, to the bedroom part of his quarters. He looked down at Q2, lounging on the bed, and shook his head. "I am not canceling classes tomorrow." He went over to the closet, to pull out some pajamas to wear, only to find he was pulling out a uniform and that he was wearing pajamas already. "Q, I wish you wouldn't do that."  
  
"Do what?" Q2 asked innocently from the bed. Icheb turned around, not in the least impressed by Q2's lack of attire. In the nanosecond it had taken the Q to change what Icheb was wearing, he had also changed what he was wearing. The uniform was gone, replaced by red silk boxers.  
  
"Q2,"  
  
"Q-ball." Icheb sighed, then firmly repeated what he'd said.  
  
"Q2, I am fully aware of the way humanoids fraternize. You have also attempt to make sexual overtures before." Q frowned, then snapped his fingers, and returned them both to what they had been wearing. "Q, I know you're going to watch when I change."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Is sex really the only think about?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm a teenager. Don't you think about sex?"  
  
"No, not really." Icheb once more reached for his pajamas. This time he pulled them out safely.  
  
"No wonder you're so grouchy." Q2's words hung in the air, even after he snapped himself out of that dimension. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own 1 of these characters, though I wish I owned them all....  
  
Frances carefully maneuvered her fingers behind her glasses and rubbed her eyes, sighing. Two days after Icheb had shown up at her door, and she still had no idea what was going on in any of her classes, despite numerous attempts on Benlet's part to try to teach her.  
  
"Let's face it." She whispered to herself. "I'm hopeless."  
  
"Yes, you are." Glancing up from her work on the physics of subspace transmissions, Frances rolled her eyes at Q2, who had become just about a constant companion. "You need help." He commented, from where he was sitting cross-legged on the ceiling of her quarters.  
  
"Oh, God, yes." Frances let her head sink into her hands, tired beyond belief. She didn't see Q2 smile conspiratorially. She did hear him snap his fingers and disappear, but she assumed he was just bored with her. Ordering a cup of Earl Grey tea - two milk, three sugar - from the replicator, she continued working.  
  
"Oh, come on!!" Q2 floated in the air in front of Icheb, who frowned, and finally looked up from the class plan for tomorrow. "She really needs help!"  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"She said so. 'Let's face it, I'm hopeless.' Those were her exact words." Q2 crossed his arms, and dropped to the ground. "So come on! She'll never achieve her dream of being Ship's Historian if you don't help!"  
  
"Q," Icheb began, but couldn't get farther than that.  
  
"Q-ball. Call me Q-ball, or I'll turn your hair, optical implant, and your uniforms bright fluorescent pink." The sad thing was, Icheb knew he would do it too.  
  
"Fine. Q-ball. Since when have you ever cared about us tiny mortals?"  
  
"I'm taking a special exception for her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm not telling." Icheb shook his head like a disappointed parent at Q2, who looked a lot like a guilty child at that moment. "Ichi!! You know I'd do anything for you, you're my best friend, but... But I can't tell you."  
  
"Fine." Icheb went back to work, not very concerned. After all, Q2 did have a right to keep his own secrets. He noted when Q2 left, with a soft snapping noise, and Icheb carefully got up, leaving his quarters.  
  
"Hello, [whatever the hell their kids name is]. Is mommy and daddy in?" Q2 leaned over the giggling baby, who didn't respond, merely grabbed his nose in a very endearing way. Of course, everything babies did was endearing.  
  
"Yes, her mommy and daddy are in. Q2, what are you doing here?" Came the cold reply from doorway to the baby's room Q2 had gone to.  
  
"Ah! B'Elana! Great to see you! You look fantastic! Pregnant again, I see?" Q2 exclaimed, making way for the half Klingon to pick up her wakened baby.  
  
"Yes, know what are you doing here?"  
  
"I need to talk to Tommy dearest, if B'Elana dearest will let me." Q2 gave an award-winning smile, making his teeth shine in the way that 20th century television shows made celebrities' teeth shine.  
  
"And what does Q2 dearest need to talk to Tommy dearest for?" Came a sarcastic question from the doorway. Apparently, daddy had arrived.  
  
"Great to see you too." Q2 began floating, and refused to let himself show even the slightest hint of annoyance at their manner towards him. "Anyway, I was wondering if you have any relatives – you know, sisters, cousins, nieces... - who are in the Academy...."  
  
"Ummm.... No."  
  
"Are you sure?" Q2 came uncomfortably close to Tom, forcing him to look into the Q's eyes.  
  
"Yes." Tom backed up a step, surprised.  
  
"Damnitalltothehottestsuninthegalaxy!!!!!!" He shouted in anger, managing six exclamation points, and tying his own father for the most recorded number of exclamation points in a curse. The frustrated Q then snapped his fingers, a small thunderstorm forming over his head, and disappeared without a word.  
  
It would have been so much easier if she had been related to the Paris'. Then he could say it was over and done with, and get back to trying to get in Ichi's pants. But she wasn't, so he had to figure out why she was so damn enigmatic. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Not mine!! No sue me!!!!  
  
A/N: I have changed Chapter 1, so if you want to know where half I write comes from (okay that's an exaggeration, but hey...) reread it. BTW, This story was started because my sister and I wanted to wanted to write a story about one another. So, if you have read Mercedes Lackey (Valdemar) and want to read about me (he he he), and my fake adventures, I'll let you know when she FINALLY GETS STARTED!!! (She's reading over my shoulder, I'm not yelling at you, dearest readers. I love you all too dearly for that.  
  
Icheb wandered the halls of Starfleet Academy, just letting his feet go where they wanted. Apparently, Q2 hadn't gone back to his quarters yet, for the flamboyant alien hadn't shown up to annoy him yet.  
  
"I swear that's why he does it... why else would he be around all the time?" Icheb whispered, still lost in thought. He clasped his hands behind his back, and stopped, staring at the monotonous gray of the ceiling. "Unless... No, that's simply not possible."  
  
A small sound interrupted his thoughts, and Icheb whirled around, a blush making its way across his face. Not seeing any one there, and going several feet, checking every hallway that intersected the one he was in, Icheb silently told himself not be so paranoid, and to stop by the Infirmary before making his way back to his quarters.  
  
Icheb, however, was in no state to be making his way anywhere. Quite frankly, in the years he had been at Starfleet, he couldn't recall this corridor. In actual point of fact, he had no idea where he was. //Logically, if I keep walking, I will come to either people, or a place that I know.// he thought, turning left at the next opening, and following it to its end, a t-junction.  
  
There, he turned left again, and from then on, continued to turn left at every second option. He continued the pattern for quite a while, before the sound came to his ears, not quite drowned out by the muffled sound of something hitting the bulkhead not so far away.  
  
Icheb recognized where he was, now. He was in the students' residential area. //But the barrier between teacher and student residence is clearly marked....// he thought, his brow furrowing. The sound that had almost hidden the slight sound of his paranoia sounded again.  
  
Turning to the wall that the sound was coming from, he pressed his ear against the bulkhead. Yes, the sound was indeed coming from inside. Going to the door, he pressed the bell before he noticed the name. Frances Henry. He blinked, opening the door, as a tortured "Come in!" came from inside.  
  
"Over here." The cadet's voice came from the side, and Icheb looked over. Miss. Henry had her head leaned up against the wall, an empty mug in one hand, and a pad in the other. As he watched, she, without looking at her visitor, took a last look at the pad, and banged her head against the wall, producing a loud thud that would have made the sound Icheb had heard.  
  
"What are you doing?" Hearing his voice, Miss. Henry looked up, and blushed rather prettily. //Prettily? I know I need to see the Doctor know.//  
  
"Oh. I didn't know it was you Professor."  
  
"I see. But you haven't answered my question." Miss. Henry turned around, and leaned against the wall with her back, instead of her forehead.  
  
"Banging my head against a wall, because maybe it'll help me figure out what this means." She vaguely waved the pad in his direction. Going over a step or two, he took it from her, and looked down. It was notes from Icheb's seminar today. //This is only the review. Q2's right... she does need help.//  
  
"Perhaps you would like me to explain this?"  
  
"God, yes." Frances pushed herself off the wall. "But first!" She held up her right hand, index finger extended. "I need a break." Putting the empty mug in the replicator, and mumbled, "Computer, recycle. Want anything?" She half turned to the borg Brunali, who was looking as uncomfortable as a borg Brunali can, in that situation. Icheb shook his head, and she smiled. "Then at least sit down."  
  
Icheb sat down greatfully. At least the chairs were as comfortable as he remembered them, and somehow, sitting in someone else's – a girl's, no less – house wasn't as uncomfortable for him as standing was.  
  
"Computer, tea, milk and sugar." Came Miss. Henry's voice from halfway across the room.  
  
"Specify tea." Came the annoyingly monotonous drone of the computer. Somehow, it always sounded like it was mocking her.  
  
"My usual tea."  
  
"That type of tea is not in the databanks. Please specify another type of tea."  
  
"Crap. I hate computers." Frances stamped her foot, annoyed.  
  
"That type of tea is not in the databanks. Please specify another type of tea."  
  
"Earl Grey." Frances said from between clenched teeth. The computer beeped, and the slight whirr of the replication process left Icheb wondering how Miss. Henry could not know how to use the computer.  
  
Holding the steaming mug in one hand, the slight girl sat down beside him, and pouted slightly. Icheb felt the uncontrollable urge to chuckle, something decidedly not borg-, or Icheb-like. Telling himself a third time that a trip to the Infirmary was in order, Icheb settled into the seat, and held the pad out in front of them, going over it again and again, emerging only in the early hours of the morning.  
  
Q2 frowned. That girl was far too close to his Ichi-baby for his liking, but, unfortunately, watching silently, he didn't have the option of giving her a one handed ticket to the center of Betelgeuse.  
  
It had, of course, been him that had both made both of the sounds, and led Icheb to Frances' quarters. His almost-giggle had almost given it all away. Thank the Continuum that he had managed to cut it off before he had made anything more than a whisper.  
  
Following Icheb out of the cadet's quarters, and back to Icheb's, bypassing the Infirmary without going in, Q2 couldn't help but feel frustrated at his own failure. A whole evening of watching that girl just about cuddle up that his – His – favorite Brunali, and he was no closer to figuring out what was so strange about her.  
  
He supposed he'd have to work harder. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine – though I sort of wish they were!  
  
A/N: I love you guys! Really I do. You guys are so supportive. I love you all.  
  
Frances progressed swiftly after Icheb started helping her. As soon as she stopped thinking of it in terms of science, and math, and started thinking of it in terms of history, she learned very fast.  
  
Her method to the madness was simple. Relate everything to something she already knew. Star charts were organized, in her mind, under the TV shows they reminder her of. Genetic sequences were organized based on Latin words that started with the same letters. It was hard, but eventually, Frances could organize all the words into – mostly – sentences. Once she had done that, she repeated the mostly complete phrases over and over, and hoped she could remember what they were.  
  
That's when Icheb broke the news to her, at 12:45 in the morning, during one of their nightly study sessions.  
  
"Very good." He said, as she finished reciting the star-systems-one-could- reach-in-a-week-or-less-if-one-flew-at-warp-six. "I think you're ready to move out of review."  
  
"Review? We've been doing review this whole time?"  
  
"Yeah. Pretty sad, ain't it?" That was Q2, who had taken to sitting in on their sessions, and periodically changing what was on the pad, just as Icheb gave it up, and just before Frances took it. He snapped his fingers quietly, and chuckled at Frances' reaction to seeing a rather large butterfly drawn on the screen, instead of notes.  
  
"Q2!" He laughed out loud, and snapped his fingers again, returning the pad to its normal, boring content. He cocked his head, then, listening.  
  
"Q2, I need to talk to you." It was Q.  
  
"Damn." He muttered under his breath, disappearing without another word.  
  
The lessons lasted for a few hours longer, but without Q2 to bother them, Frances and Icheb got through the rest what the Brunali had had planned for that night. After, both had gone out for celebratory ice cream – Frances' suggestion – when something almost as unexpected as Q2 had once been, arrived.  
  
"Hey! Frances!" A familiar voice reached the ears of the human girl. It reached the Brunali's too, but it wasn't familiar to him. Frances turned joyfully.  
  
"Benlet!" She cried out, running, and hugging her Deep Space Nine friend. "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying on Deep Space Nine!" "I was." He said, pulling out of the embrace. "But, well, I was talking about you to Anariel, and she wanted to meet you."  
  
"Anariel?" Frances looked around for this unknown entity, but couldn't see her.  
  
"Anariel," Benlet repeated. "She's my fiancée." He stepped out of the way, to reveal a rather shy Bajoran girl, who smiled timidly, before extending her hand. Frances shook it, amazed that: a) Benlet was engaged – she hadn't known that! – And b) that there was someone shorter than her – she hadn't thought that possible.  
  
"You're engaged?" Frances cocked her head to the side, brow furrowed.  
  
"Yeah." Benlet looked embarrassed, and bowed his head, examining his boots in rather excessive detail. Frances decided to take pity on him, and change the subject.  
  
"Well, come on, I want you to meet Icheb." Frances led them back to where Icheb had been patiently waiting. "Icheb," she addressed the Brunali. "This is Benlet, a friend from Deep Space Nine." She emphasized 'friend' slightly, guessing correctly the reason that Anarial had wanted to meet her. "And Anariel, his fiancée."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Icheb shook their hands, and all three talked well into the morning. Neither Frances nor Icheb cared, since neither had any classes the next day, it being a Friday. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Not mine – though if they were it would make writing this a lot easier!  
  
A/N: You'd better be grateful, I'm putting all my other stories on hiatus for you guys. I will be working fulltime on this (except when I get writer's block), so that I can get it done. MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! (I don't know why this requires the evil laugh, but it does). And yes, I did make up the wedding as I went along.  
  
The wedding day dawned, beautiful with clear skies, and warm – but not too warm – weather. The female guests wore light (in fabric and color) dresses that allowed the slight breeze to move without hindrance through the pale green, pink, and blue wrap-around's.  
  
Anariel herself wore a skirt that shimmered in the light, changing between violet, and a deep blue, depending on how you looked at it. She was crowned with a ring of flowers, resting lightly on her dirty blonde hair. As if all of her life had led up to this moment, eyes so dark that the pupils were invisible shone with a light that could never be duplicated by any external source.  
  
Benlet, wore a suit of the same material, and stood on the far left of the guests, with Frances at his side. Parallel to them, on the far right, were Anariel, and Icheb. Icheb looked positively gorgeous in the black tuxedo that he had been told to wear in substitution for his uniform formals. Frances, however, wore a white skirt, and loose white shirt feeling very much like she was a Bajoran version of her own wedding.  
  
In fact, if she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that it was her wedding. She didn't want to do that, though, because every time it came to kissing her new husband, she ended up looking into the dark eyes of her Astrophysics professor, and all around tutor.  
  
The wedding was outside, under the shade of a gazebo that had been built for this occasion. A silk cord lay in front of the Vedek, and another, a little longer, in front of the Prailar.  
  
Frances listened attentively – not without a blush or two whenever she accidentally met Icheb's eyes – to the Vedek, trying very hard not to do that which was making her blush. When said Vedek called for the groom to step forward, Benlet tugged Frances forward slightly, giving her a small nervous smile when she finally fell into step with him.  
  
Icheb kept up with Anariel with far more ease, and both stopped mere feet from each other, parallel from their either real or implied partner. For Frances, this made not meeting Icheb's gaze very difficult.  
  
The Vedek reached forward, and took the gray silk, as both Benlet and Anariel each held out their left hand. The Vedek took and end of the cord, which had been looped into a knot that allowed the loop to become smaller, or larger, and tightened it around Benlet's wrist, and did the same for Anariel.  
  
Benlet gave Frances a small pull towards him, and stepped behind her, so that they switched places. Icheb, having been apparently warned of this, stepped smoothly into Anariel's vacated place, smiling slightly at Frances' apparent distress.  
  
The Prailar took both of their hands, and looped the longer silk cord around their wrists deftly, not giving Frances time to resist. Within seconds, she was attached firmly to her Brunali counterpart.  
  
Icheb smiled at her, and Frances tried to give a smile back, but seeing her reflection in his eyes, could see that she looked more like a terrified deer.  
  
As she and Icheb followed Anariel and Benlet down the center of the rows of guests, Frances heard small titters of laughter.  
  
"Did you see the look on her face? You'd almost think that she hadn't heard a word about it."  
  
"Sicen, that's not fair, maybe she didn't."  
  
"Okay, maybe. But why did Benlet choose her? I'd've been perfectly happy to escort him."  
  
"Yeah, or be knotted to him." The giggles that erupted were quickly silenced by several 'Shh!'s. Frances was left wondering just how little she knew. 


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Not mine. There. 'Anthem to the Year 2000', by the way, is not mine; it is Silver Chair's, an awesome band, if I may say so.  
  
A/N: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, but writers block is such a hard thing to break... ( Also, the remembering part is indicated like so: blah blah   
  
Rockland, Ontario, 1:00 am, 2004  
  
Kathleen closed the door quietly, wincing at how loud the click sounded in the silent neighborhood. She blinked several times, almost too tired to think. Two darkened figures, black against the glow of the streetlamp, approached, and Kathleen smiled, pulling both of them in turn into a quick embrace before all three set off for another house, only three streets, and a few houses away.  
  
Chantal's hair glowed like an angel's in the lamplight, as they passed the main street in Rockland. She broke the silence, which, usually, would have been occupied by Kathleen's own mindless chatter.  
  
"There's no word on your sister?" Kathleen shook her head. Frances had disappeared almost a year ago, in the middle of a crowded store. A silence fell again, though not the usual silence that was around them. It was a pressing silence, one that begged for speech, any speech, to relieve its oppression.  
  
Silences in Kathleen's group were usually comfortable, broken only by the sounds of small movements. Those silences warranted, not desperate speech, but more silence. There was simply no need to speak, and so no one did. Krystle and Chantal walked by Kathleen's side, and the girl silently wondered where the rest of the group was.  
  
"That sucks." Krystle said, just as Kathleen was opening her mouth to ask the question that flitted un-merrily through her mind. "I liked your sister." Kathleen nodded, Frances had been one of only four or five who had been accepted by, but had not joined, the group.  
  
"They closed the case, you know. No one told me." This was a silent fear that Kathleen had been plagued by for years. A duet of 'What?'s followed her statement of fact. "Apparently, if they can't find any clues in the first four days, they list the person as missing, and leave it as that." She laughed bitterly, and without mirth. "And here I've been, hoping that one day, the phone would ring, and there'd be a police officer saying they found her. They're not even looking anymore."  
  
Tears slide down her cheeks, and a small sob ripped its way past her vocal chords. Without a second's hesitation, he felt herself enveloped by four arms. She sank the ground, bringing Chantal (gracefully), and Krystle (not so gracefully) with her.  
  
After what seemed like hours of relieving the tears she had dared not cry before, Kathleen pushed the other two away, silently signaling that she was fine for the moment. They got up, resuming the walk for Krystle's house.  
  
Because they had only been a house or two from Krystle's when Kathleen had started crying, it was only a minute before they reached their destination. A resounding 'Go to bed' came from Krystle's father, Joe, as they entered. Not one of them cared, since he was 'watching' commercials, and, thus was most likely asleep.  
  
Kathleen treaded up the stairs, heading for the back room, where Krystle slept. Chantal turned on the radio, and Smash Mouth filtered through the speakers. "...Maybe we don't want to live in a world where our innocence is so short..." Kathleen felt a longing to leave, to get away from the life she led. Krystle entered, after carefully closing the door to the rest of the upstairs, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.  
  
Chantal took one, muttering 'Jacked' under her breath, and offered it to Kathleen. The other shook her head.  
  
"I don't smoke, remember?" Chantal shrugged, and pulled out a purple polka dotted lighter, with the words 'Flick your Bic' written in colorful letters on the side. Krystle pulled out a box of all surface matches, striking it on the wall. Kathleen bundled up in the blankets, listening to the radio, and remembering her sister's disappearance.  
  
Kathleen looked through the 'How to draw Anime' books, stacked neatly on the shelves of Entertainment Inc. Frances tapped her on the shoulder, saying, "I'm going to go look at the posters, okay?" "Okay," Kathleen said, without looking away from the books.  
  
A second later, someone bumped into her abruptly. Kathleen hadn't noticed anyone near, but she muttered and 'excuse me', and went off to another section of the store. Kathleen vaguely recognized the blonde woman, but couldn't place where she had seen her.  
  
She heard a small gasp of delighted surprise from the poster section, but that was all. 'She's probably found a poster of Icheb' she thought, chuckling. Frances had been obsessed with Icheb from the minute she had seen him on the TV.  
  
Kathleen looked around, searching the store, then the area surrounding it. 'Where is she?' The question entered her mind more often than once, and she felt frustration rising in her. Frances was nowhere to be found. 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: La la la la la! If you haven't gotten the point by now, there's something wrong with you! La la!  
  
John was walking down the street, and got run over by a car. And then got resurrected by Q's powers, and got shot by a sniper, and died again.  
  
A/N: Sorry about that, my friend was bugging me (not really) to include him in this (no he didn't, I'm just really hyper as I'm writing this, so I decided to include him, and kill him). And again, memories are indicated between two . On with the story!!!! I promise Chapter Ten won't take so long! (I think I can keep that....)  
  
Back in the 24th century  
  
Q watched, invisibly, from the non-existent shadows, as Frances (the bitch) curled up against his Icheb (HIS Icheb). He glared invisible pins and needles at the impudent girl, laughing silently as she gasped at her now sleeping arms and legs.... And stomach. He would have glared daggers, but it might have actually hurt her, and besides, blood was hard to clean, even for a Q.  
  
Frances showed no intention of moving away, so Q decided that he was being forced to take drastic measures. He needed something to get the girl away from his Ichi, now! He grinned evilly, as an idea dawned on him. He snapped his fingers, using his innate powers.  
  
Frances dutifully recited the coordinates needed to get to Deep Space Nine to Icheb, who smiled and nodded. She blinked three times in succession as a light flashed rather brightly in her eyes. Before the after-glow cleared, she felt, rather than saw, that there was something different.  
  
Her sight cleared, and she gasped. Icheb sat in front of her, suddenly without a shirt on. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her eyes with her hands. That however, was a mistake, as she realized that what was different, was that her uniform was gone too. She was curled up against Icheb with nothing but bra and underwear on!  
  
Icheb growled abruptly, and stood up. She saw through her fingers, to her relief, that he was still wearing boxers, blue ones with little Enterprise NCC 1701's all over. Frances could guess why. She had heard that Icheb was obsessed with Captain Kirk.  
  
"Q!" he said between clenched teeth, glaring around at the seemingly empty quarters. There was no response. Icheb turned back to Frances, and apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry about this. Q pulls pranks like this sometimes."  
  
"It's okay." Frances paused, looking around a little. "Do you have a spare uniform I can borrow?" Icheb smiled wryly, and Frances guessed he understood that she didn't want to walk down the corridors without clothes on.  
  
"Yes, though I doubt any will fit." Icheb's eyes unconsciously traveled the length of Frances' body, coming to rest on a rather ugly scar on her right knee. "Where did you get that?" Frances followed the line of his eyes, and nodded when she saw what he was asking about.  
  
"That? Oh... um... I got trapped in a rockslide, and I broke my leg. By the time my parents found me, it had set wrong, had gotten infected, and stuff. Anyway, I got this scar from it." Frances inwardly quivered, hoping the lie would fulfill Icheb's curiosity.  
  
"Oh." Icheb nodded slightly, thankfully accepting her reason. Frances sighed in relief, glad that he hadn't thought of the numerous loopholes in that explanation. The chime of the doorbell rang, and Frances rushed into the bedroom. It, too, was immaculately clean; free of anything that might even remotely be considered 'messy'. Icheb quickly pulled on a uniform, and called out "Come in!"  
  
He walked out, and, Frances, leaning to one side, could sort of see Benlet, and Anariel coming in. Anariel caught a glimpse of Frances, and blinked several times. "Icheb, what is Henry doing without clothes on, in your bedroom?"  
  
"Q2 removed our clothing, and has either gone somewhere else, or is refusing to answer me." A flash of light accented what he was saying. "Apparently it was the latter." Both Anariel and Benlet let out a laugh, and while Anariel graciously offered to fetch some clothing for Frances, Benlet took Icheb aside, speaking to the student-professor in hushed tones.  
  
Q2 snapped his fingers, dissolving the room around him, until he was sitting in the middle of a nebula near Vereta V. This was interesting: Frances had a scar because she broke her leg, and wasn't found for a while. There were two obvious problems with this: First, a tricorder scan could have found her in seconds. And second, even if no one had thought to look for her for a few hours, the simplest of dermal regenerators could have fixed her leg, without leaving a scar.  
  
She'd have to have been living on a frontier planet to get that scar, and Q remembered that Frances had mentioned that she had never been off Earth except for ten months where she had gone to Deep Space Nine.  
  
Q was beginning to understand why she had that quaint 'twenty first century' feel. But he'd have to check first. He snapped his fingers, heading for the Q continuum. "Who brought her here?" He asked, sending out a general picture of Frances. Amanda came to him, responding a few Q seconds later.  
  
"That was me. Here, I'll show you." Amanda sent out a thought tendril containing in it her memories of bringing Frances to the 24th century.  
  
Amanda drifted through the twentieth century, merely scanning the thoughts of those people whom she felt like touching upon. A single thought that came back to her caught her interest. 'I wish I could be in the 24th century. It would be so cool to meet Icheb.' Amanda stayed invisible, but nevertheless moved to view the situation with her own eyes.  
  
A girl, several inches shorter than Amanda, stood looking at a poster of Icheb. Her curly brown hair hung to halfway down her back, and her glasses glinted in the artificial light of the store.  
  
Amanda remembered her own dreams, and the days when she still believed she was human. She remembered wishing with all her heart for something, and decided to grant the young woman this one wish.  
  
She backed off a few feet, bumping into an auburn haired girl looking at some books as she materialized. The girl muttered something, and left, going somewhere else. Amanda approached the one who had wished for what the Q could grant.  
  
Amanda tapped Frances on the shoulder, and was slightly surprised at the reaction she got. "You're Olivia D'Abo!" she gasped, sounding absolutely delighted. "You play Amanda on 'True Q' in TNG's sixth season!" Amanda didn't know what the young woman was talking about, but really, it didn't matter.  
  
"No, actually, but that's not the point." Amanda tapped her fingers to her lips, thinking. "Now where should I send you? Perhaps to Enterprise? No. Ah, Deep Space Nine!" Amanda snapped her fingers, granting the woman's wish in a flash of white light  
  
Q2 withdrew into his own consciousness, considering the information. Of course, he should have realized before, but that wasn't the point. He had work to do. 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Okay, don't own. God this gets annoying....  
  
A/N: Thank you for the good reviews. This fic is rapidly coming to an end, unfortunately. I had fun writing this. Thank you for your support, and, in case you are wondering, no, this is not that last chapter, but the last will be coming up in 4 or 5 more chapters, tops. And Marie Sheppard, I will try to fit in one or two more half-naked Icheb scenes. I am NOT putting in a full naked scene, this fic is rated pg for a reason. If you want that, I'm posting a Q2/Icheb songfic. It's entitled 'Iris', if you're into that kind of thing.  
  
Benlet tugged gently on Icheb's arm, guiding the Brunali to a separate part of the quarters. They stood near the corner of the living room, as Benlet began to speak in a hushed tone.  
  
"Okay, there are some things I got to talk to you about."  
  
"Such as?" Icheb asked calmly, as he motioned for Benlet to sit in one of the chairs. Once the Bajoran was seated, he took a seat himself.  
  
"Student-teacher relationships." Benlet said, watching for Icheb's reaction. The former Borg raised his right eyebrow in a way so like Captain Spock that Benlet was sure he had practiced it.  
  
"I assure you, the rumors concerning me and Professor O'Brien are completely unfounded." Icheb remarked, his voice utterly calm, and serious.  
  
"What? I didn't mean – When did that happen?" Benlet finally sputtered the question out, shocked about rumors that he had not known were being spread, and wouldn't, at any other time, really want to know about.  
  
"They began a few months ago, and were saying that the Professor and I were romantically involved." How could Icheb be so calm about this? Benlet wondered, listening in dumbfounded silence. "I was merely helping him with his model of the Enterprise. Really, the rumors are rather ridiculous. Professor O'Brien is happily married with two children, and my interests do not turn towards men."  
  
Icheb noted the look of shock and horror on Benlet's face with mild amusement. "Riiight," the Bajoran said, before seeming to regain his lost composure. "Well, that wasn't what I meant. I was talking about you and Frances."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Q2 pulled out what looked like a twentieth century Gameboy. "Time for the Q- Net Server..." he muttered to the rest of the universe, absolutely sure in his conviction that the rest of said universe cared.  
  
"Search: Frances Henry. Age:" Q had to pause for a second. How old was Frances? And how old had she been? Q decided that a guess was better than nothing, and pulled a number at random. "Six." A few small pictures showed Frances running around wearing a cute, puffy dress, and leaping into her father's lap.  
  
"Wait a Earth minute." Q snapped his fingers, and felt a sharp sting on his forehead - why hit your forehead when you can have a custom made, disposable, disembodied hand do it for you? "Okay, go away now." He said irritably rubbing the offended area. "Mortals can't even be accepted into Starfleet until they're eighteen... I'd better start there. Search: Frances Henry. Age: Eighteen."  
  
More pictures appeared of Frances, older, writing furiously with a lead pencil. On lined paper. In a rather uncomfortable desk. In what looked like a cramped classroom. "Oh My Q!" Q2 exclaimed. "Oh the torture! How could they possibly submit students to that?" Q had made the horrible realization that Frances was writing an... exam!  
  
Q's beautifully, piercingly, not to mention all those other –ingly's, perceptive mind soon came to the conclusion that Q was looking too far back. Frances did not look like she was planning to take his Icheb away from him, and therefore the notion must not have occurred to her tiny mortal mind, yet.  
  
He pressed a heretofore-nonexistent button, and fast-forwarded through time, reaching just before Frances disappeared in seconds. That girl Amanda had bumped into... he sent the Q- Net Sever after her, identifying her as Kathleen Janet Ingham Henry and receiving her entire history before her could shut the damn thing off.  
  
He then fast-forwarded to about a year after Frances 'disappeared'. While 'now' and 'then' meant absolutely nothing to a Q, it would mean something to the damned mortals.  
  
Now to get some real time events for blackmail. 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own that which you recognize from the shows, I'm just messing around with them.

A/N: Okay, I know I took a long time with the last chapter, but that's because I had severe writer's block, not to mention several other stories. With a little prod from my sister, I got back on track, and since it's summer vacation, and all my friends have gone to their trailer for the weekend, I know I can get some writing done! Yay!

"Ice cream break!" Frances said, tossing away the pad she was working on. Icheb looked up from the work he was correcting, and sighed.

"We have not even been working for an hour. Ice cream is irrelevant. " He stated simply, not moving.

"I know, but I want ice cream, so we're having an ice cream break. Besides, I'm getting a headache from looking at the pad." She added that last as an after thought, figuring it might do more to convince her taskmaster. She got up, then yanked the pad out of Icheb's hand, and pulled him, or at least attempted to pull him, to his feet.

Icheb sighed, getting up, and felt confused at how Frances blushed, though it was hard to see her, bare centimeters away from him. "Are you alright? Should I turn down the temperature in here?" he asked, wondering if it was too warm in the room for her.

"What?" she asked, quickly heading for the door.

"You looked flushed. Is it the heat?" Icheb followed after, knowing from half a year's experience that there was no point arguing with her. She'd only pout, and make working without interruption impossible.

"Um... No, I'm fine." She said, sighing in relief, and annoyance. He is so clueless,she thought, walking beside him. I blush because he is so cute, and I'm right in front of him, and he doesn't get it.She shook her head slightly, waiting with him for the turbo lift.

When it finally came, there was already someone in the lift, but she stared straight ahead, as if not seeing them. Icheb raised an eyebrow at the civvies she was wearing, but didn't ask.

She had shoulder length auburn hair, and blue eyes that seemed tired and strained behind her square glasses. When they reached the ground floor, the girl walked out before them, and into a place Icheb knew was not Starfleet Academy.

Old-style houses sprawled along asphalt streets that went in no particular direction. Twentieth-century cars zoomed by, as the girl walked by them, unconcerned, and Icheb followed, wondering what Q was playing at this time.

The girl turned down a side street, putting the cemetery to her left. Icheb and Frances followed, Icheb wondering where this was going, and Frances hoping it wasn't going where she thought it was.

Entering the door of the house directly beside the cemetery, angry voices assaulted all three.

"... and you just lie there all day long... Kathleen! Where the hell have you been?"

"Out." The girl said, not elaborating anymore than she had to for 'angry dad' as Frances knew she often called him. Their father had Borderline Personality Disorder, and everyone but him knew that 'angry dad' was completely different from 'normal dad'.

"You should have called!" he yelled, his rant at their mother ceasing. "You just blatantly ignore the rules, and I'm sick of it. You're grounded!"

"Fine!" Kathleen answered sarcastically, hoping to, at least, avoid a three-hour rant about how irresponsible she was.

"Don't you take that tone with me-"her father never finished. Kathleen had heard the same arguments, and fights break out for a year. Fighting was all her father did lately, and she – along with the rest of the family – was sick of it.

"What tone? The 'I'm sick of you picking fights' tone, or the 'I'm sick of you blaming me for every little thing since Frances left' tone? Which, because I'm sick of both! All you do is pick fights with us, and we don't even do anything! And then I come home and all you do is bitch at me for 'letting Frances go', as if I could have done something about it! How was I supposed to know she wasn't going to come back?" Kathleen yelled, thoroughly annoyed. "What was I supposed to do? Follow her everywhere? She's not a baby! She's twenty-two, for God's sake! You seem to forget that she's five fucking years older than me!" Kathleen spun on her heel, storming from the room, and back out the door.

The scene froze with the door closing, and Q, with a flash of light, appeared. "Like what you left behind?" he asked Frances, who looked thoroughly horrified.

"He didn't used to be like that..." she whispered, lifting her hands to cover her face.

"Really? He's been doing that a lot lately." Q2 asked, then pulled out a small box that Frances suspected was a Gameboy. He muttered some things under his breath, and smiled. "Ah, family picnic, how cute. You're right, he seems really nice here." He looked up, then seemed to remember something. "Wait a minute! This isn't the point!"

"And what is?" Icheb asked, speaking up for the first time since he and Frances had left his quarters. Q looked flustered, then pulled up the calendar from the kitchen. The month on top boldly declared it to be July, and the year on bottom glared it's denial of Q's time traveling abilities by stating it to be 2004.

"Don't you see?" Q2 asked, annoyed. "This is where Frances comes from! She's a twentieth centurian!"


	12. Chapter 12

Standard Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, boring, boring, and more boring!

A/N: Don't know why I put this here.... No new reviews, so nyah to you too.

Icheb glanced, curious, at Frances; and her reaction attested to the veracity of Q's amazing pronouncement. She was biting her lips, cheeks pale, eyes reflecting some deep emotion, either grief or confusion, or both. Then, seemingly aware that people were looking at her, she brought her hand up to her face and started chewing at her nails. Icheb recalled that she had done that frequently in the period in which he had known her, it seemed to be a nervous habit.

"Is this true?" He asked her, quietly, though he already knew the answer. Q was looking on, smug; his dark eyes sparkling. Icheb couldn't understand why the omnipotent being would want to see Cadet Henry – Frances – so upset; perhaps it was just his race's delight in dischord.

Frances seemed flustered by his question. She dropped her eyes to the floor, then, softly, whispered "yes." Then, seemingly determined to defend herself, she looked up, earnest, and began to babble.

"It wasn't my fault, I didn't ask to be taken to the future. At least, not out loud. It was Amanda's fault, and anyway, it doesn't seem to have influenced the timeline at all..." She paused, at a loss, and looked down at her feet again. "I'm sorry" barely whispered.

"What was not your fault?" Icheb asked, with determined calm. Temporal violations were strictly regulated by the Temporal Prime Directive, and if he was going to have to make a report to the Department of Temporal Investigations, he wanted, at least, to have the full story.

Frances was torn. She knew, obviously, what Icheb was going to say. The Department of Temporal Investigations, if 'Trials and Tribulations' was to be trusted in these matters, was very strict. She was going to be sent back.

And while the idea would have been horrible a few weeks ago, even yesterday, she could no longer, in good conscience, ask to stay. This was her family! Her little sister, 'whose beauty illuminates the universe' (as Frances liked to call her), had started hanging out with Krystle again. Never a good thing, as Kathleen tended to be moody, and all around depressed after meeting with Krystle.

Their father's borderline personality disorder had apparently worsened in the following months, leaving Kathleen ever more angry and unhappy- which was how she always was when their father was angry- and Mom in a deep depression.

On the other hand, she really didn't want to leave Icheb. She had always known that Icheb was the best character- ever- on Star Trek. And now she knew that he was the only one for her. She had never met anyone who had successfully explained to her the complex mysteries of science- or, for that matter, anyone else who had read Livy's History of Rome enough times to quote it, word for word. Obviously, they were meant for each other.

So, slowly she began telling her story in full, starting with her early obsession with Star Trek, and ending with her arrival at the Academy, having memorized the answers to the entrance exam, as provided by Nog. Wonderful what a Ferengi would do for a few strips of gold-pressed latinum, even a Ferengi in Starfleet.

When she was done, she glanced over at Q2, and, pushed back a surge of annoyance, when she saw the look on of smug satisfaction on his features. The surge was suppressed for her almost immediately as the words she expected, and yet dreaded, left her love's lips.

"Well you'll have to go back." Her heart sank; she had been irrationally hoping that he would pretend he had never found out, would pretend that she was from the twenty-fourth century. Of course, he would never do that. The Temporal Prime Directive was very clear.

"Right." She said, looking at, but not seeing, her feet. Q2 took hold of her arm, and, instantly, she felt the ground beneath her grow soft, and saw grass begin to take solid form below her.

She looked up, and found that the big brown house beside the cemetery loomed far too solidly in front of her, and Icheb was gone. She was willing to bet she wouldn't see him, even if she did go back into the living room. She sighed, looked up the street, and, catching sight of Kathleen, running across street that intersected theirs, dashed after her.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... as much as I would like to.

A/N: Alright, I know last chapter took a long time, but that's because I couldn't figure out how Icheb would react... so I have to thank Icheblover for the help in writing it.

Frances looked back over her shoulder once, and saw nothing out of the ordinary on the street. Sighing at what she had lost, she continued running after her longer-legged younger sister, already disappearing around a street corner.

It was obvious where Kathleen was going. There was only place on Alma street that she could go: Krystle's. Frances slowed as she reached Alma street, and stopped altogether, leaning heavily on her knees and breathing deeply in an attempt to slow her heart.

She walked the rest of the way.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door, and stared into Krystle's blue eyes as the girl opened the door. "'Neechan? You might wanna see this..." Krystle called back, using the Japanese word for big sister (Frances never had understood why Kathleen's friends called her that, though God knew they'd tried to explain it often enough). Kathleen came to the door, and stared in shock.

"Frances??" she gaped, brow furrowed in what must have been confusion mixed with disbelief.

"Um... yeah. I'm back. You probably wouldn't believe where I've been." Frances said, surprised to realize that she was not babbling- there wasn't really any explanation she could give that would satisfy; that could satisfy.

"Try me."

"The twenty fourth century."

"I must be imagining this. You can't be here. And you definitely can't have just said that. You're insane. No, scratch that, I'm insane." Krystle laughed, as Kathleen stared off into the distance, breathing rapidly.

"You've always been insane, 'Nee-chan." Krystle commented, pulling Frances into a tight hug. Kathleen had never been one to talk about the problems that went on at home; this was probably more important to Kathleen than Krystle.

Kathleen fixed Krystle with a withering glare, then reached out, and tentatively touched her fingers to Frances' cheek. The feather-light touch tickled a little, and Frances tried, somewhat successfully, to suppress a snort of laughter. That seemed to convince Kathleen, and she grasped Frances, one hand on each side of her face, and cried. Kathleen alternated between staring into Frances' eyes, - which, Frances noticed for the tenth or so time, were exactly like her own- amber around the pupil, with blue ringing the amber- and hugging Frances, until she felt like she would be crushed.

Ten minutes of explaining convinced both Krystle and Kathleen that Frances was the 'lets take a trip to the loony bin' type of insane, and all three agreed that it was best for Frances to not go back to the big brown house beside the cemetery just yet- though Frances did sneak back to visit Mom in the next few months.

She stayed at Krystle's, which was complicated, since it meant a lot of sneaking around, and staying quiet while Krystle's dad was home. Kathleen abandoned staying home after school altogether, and spent her afternoons studying with Frances. She still slept at home, at 900 Dame St, and snuck food out to Frances whenever she could- they didn't want to take chances on Joe noticing the extra food that would go missing with three living in the house, rather than only two.

Frances found herself missing the tweny fourth century often, and deep pangs would wrack her whenever Joe would watch Voyager, especially episodes where Icheb was mentioned. The worst was when _Child's Play_ was on. Tears streamed down her face then, knowing she would never go back.

Meanwhile, Krystle, and Kathleen, with Frances' help, where formulating a cover story to tell Kathleen and Frances' father when Frances did return.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I'd love to know the characters, but I don't. I'd also like to be making money off of this, but I can't, so I won't.... Le sigh.

A/N: Second last chapter!! I'm actually looking forward to the end, if only because I like the way I intend to end it... he he. Go Agent Daniels.

Icheb blinked, pausing in the middle of the lecture's sentence, as his gaze fell on the strangely empty front-row seat. Miss Henry should have been there, should have been listening to him lecture on subspace communications. No, she shouldn't. She shouldn't have ever been here- she was from the Twentieth Century, as Icheb was often forced to remind himself.

Icheb had been to the Infirmary three times since Frances' impromptu departure from the Academy. The last time had been two months ago- he stopped after the doctor had threatened to declare him a hypochondriac if he kept arriving in perfect health, claiming there was something wrong with him.

Icheb couldn't tell the doctor what was wrong with him, since he was unable to find the words to describe it. Icheb was experiencing a strange sinking feeling sporadically throughout the day, as if the contents of his chest cavity were being affected by increased gravity (he didn't know it until later, when Amanda pointed it out to him, but the 'sporadic' feelings of being pressed towards the earth all coincided with when he was thinking of Frances- a sure sign that he missed her).

It actually took four months for Agent Daniels to find where the timeline was changed, but when he came to correct the problem, he came with a bang. Literally: Icheb was just finishing the sentence that he had paused during, when a loud cracking set him covering his ears, and squeezing his eyes shut.

When he looked up, there was a young woman with blonde hair that was coiled loosely on top of her head, and a man with closely cropped brown hair, a permanent furrow to his brow, and a uniform that Lieutenant Paris would have said looked like it was made from play-dough. Q2 was standing beside Icheb, looking rather confused.

"Do you know what you've done?" The strange man said, glaring at the both of them. Q2 blinked, and the girl- Amanda- answered.

"No, of course you don't," Amanda looked angry as well. "That's what we're going to tell you. Q2, when I showed you how Frances got into the Twenty-Fourth Century, I did not mean for you to put her back into her own time!" She said, her expression hard.

"Your little crush on Icheb has caused a wide spread plague across the entire Universe!" The man proclaimed.

"You have a crush on me?" Icheb asked. How strange... well, it certainly explained some of Q2's actions. Q2 blinked at him, looking both confused and overwhelmed. And his crush should have been obvious.

Amanda put a hand on the strangers shoulder, and stepped forward. "Q2, Icheb, meet Agent Daniels. He's a Temporal Agent, as am I." Icheb shook his head, and opened his mouth to ask what the purpose of a temporal agent was, when there was the Department of Temporal Investigations, but Amanda continued before he could.

"We work to keep any one person or group from changing the past for their own benefit." She said. "We're not tied to the Federation, or anyone else, so that no one of us is tempted to do what we're protecting the universe against. We also work outside of Time, so that we know what changes have happened, no matter where or when. And you," she glared at Q2, the anger returning two fold, at least. "You just destroyed the solution to a problem it took three Agents, including myself, to find!!"

"What?" Q2 asked, and Icheb asked at the same time, "What problem?" In effect, the two questions cancelled each other out, and neither Agent Daniels, nor Amanda answered either of them. Not immediately, anyway.

"Q2," Amanda said sweetly, "You are officially the first Q to end all mortal life in the universe. Congratulations." Q2 gaped. All life? Who would he play with? How did this happen? He hadn't killed anybody! Had he?

"Of course you have." Amanda answered his thoughts. "You killed every descendant that Icheb and Frances were supposed to produce. Including the child who was to become a great scientist, and eventually discover both the cure and the vaccine for a plague that is even now destroying the future." Q2 gasped, and sat down in Frances' empty chair.

Icheb looked poleaxed. "You mean, she and I copulate?" he asked. Q2 felt like glaring. Icheb was his!! Not Frances'! Not anyone else's! His!! But then again... Icheb being his would cost the Continuum every playtoy in the universe. If he let that happen, the Continuum might really turn him into an amoeba for good.

He licked his suddenly dry lips. "All mortal life?" he asked, and Amanda nodded ruthlessly. "Then we have to bring her back!" he said, jumping to his feet. Amanda nodded benevolently, sending a thought message that said he had made the right decision.

"No, we can't." Icheb said, crossing his arms. "The Temporal Prime Directive clearly states that-"

"The Temporal Prime Directive does not apply to three out of four of us, and you, Icheb, have no say in what we do. You're only allowed to see and hear this, because you have to make sure the Department of Temporal Investigations doesn't get wind of this." Agent Daniels said, raising one strangely pale eyebrow. "We are bringing her back, Icheb." The other three nodded, and it was clear Icheb was turning that over in his mind.

"Agreed." He said finally, and Q2 felt a smile of relief break out over his features. "If it is for the Universe, then we must."

Q2 set out to bring Frances back to the Twenty-Fourth Century immediately.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: insert standard disclaimer here.

A/N: Last chapter!! Frances and Icheb are reunited, and Q2 finally gets his Icheb- that will be explained, if you're wondering.... Maybe I should do an epilogue.... Hmm.... Or a sequel. Actually, my sister's doing that: If any of my faithful readers- who have put up with writer's block, computer crashes, and rapid, raging plot bunnies- have read the Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, you'll want to check it out. Coming soon, by Icheblover!!! A story centered around what Frances and Kathleen wish for, and the Last Herald-Mage's nephew..... I'm updating 2 chapters, so make sure you read Chapter 14 first!!

Q2 searched for a fraction of a nano-second, before locating the mark he had put on Frances' younger sister.

"... abducted by a Trekkie cult who convinced her she was in the twenty-fourth century." Kathleen was saying, as Q2 arrived. Neither she, nor, the girl beside her looked up, or acknowledged Q2's arrival. "That's what I think it really was anyway."

"Well, it's plausible. Sorta." The friend said, and Q2 took the pause in their conversation to clear his throat. They looked back, and Kathleen let out an 'eep' in surprise.

"Where's Frances?" Q2 asked, tapping his foot slightly.

"Downstairs..." Kathleen replied suspiciously.

Q2 asked to see her, and Kathleen called down. Footfalls on the stair announced the older girl's arrival. Frances paused in the doorway, mouthing 'Q2?'. "Kathleen, Krystle, I want to speak to this guy in private, please." Kathleen still looked suspicious- as if she believed Q2 was going to kidnap Frances at any moment- which the Q fully intended to do.

"Icheb misses you." Q2 said, when he and the former cadet were alone. "He's miserable. He just doesn't know it. So I'm taking you back."

"What about the Temporal Prime Directive?" Frances asked. "Icheb wouldn't let me stay, and, as much as I hate it, he's completely right."

"We've worked that out. Now come on!" Q2 grabbed Frances hand, but she pulled back.

"Wait a minute, Q2." A look Q2 had never seen before came over Frances' face. "What if there was a way that we could both have Icheb?"

"That's ridiculous, he's never liked me as more than a friend."

"Maybe. But if there was, would you do something for me?"

"Yes." Q2 felt his heartbeat- even if it wasn't really his- rising.

"I want you to grant one wish to both Kathleen and Krystle. One wish each. They put me up here, so I'd better give them a parting gift."

"One wish each? You're only telling me one thing!" Q2 protested. One piece of information should mean one wish, right?

"Do you want to know or not?" The look of sadistic humor on her face was unmistakable.

"Fine, but I'll only grant them the wishes if it works." Q2 pouted.

"Oh it will. You simply find an alternate universe Icheb who's perfect for you. There's thousands of Ichebs out there, one of them has to be just right!" Frances smiled triumphantly, and Q2 felt like a moron. Of course!! The solution had been right there, in his face, the entire time!!

"You're right, that's guaranteed to work. Alright, I'll bring you back, then find my Icheb, then grant those wishes, agreed?" Q2 extended his hand gallantly.

"Agreed." Frances took Q2's hand, and they disappeared with a flash.

Kathleen frowned. "The voices have stopped." She whispered to Krystle, who was hovering beside her. "I don't know what that means, but it's not good."

Krystle frowned too. "You're right. We'd better check on her." Who knew what that Trekkie freak was doing to Frances- Krystle had seen Frances mouth the Trekkie's supposed name (as if it was really Q2!).

Kathleen stood, and opened the door. Krystle gasped. The room was empty. "She's gone again. That freak took her, again!" Kathleen sunk to the floor, tears forming in lately stony eyes.

Icheb was there to greet Frances. He smiled tentatively, and managed to mask an overwhelmed expression as Frances embraced him. Q2 didn't even scowl. He was far too happy.

"I'm back." Frances stated, as Q2 snapped off to find his perfect man.

"You're back." Icheb said. The awkward greeting was thankfully cut short as Q2 arrived, hanging off a second Icheb's arm.

"I'm back!!" Q2 proclaimed joyfully. The second Icheb, wearing deep blue civvies, nodded to Frances and... Icheb. Icheb nodded back, and Frances shook his hand. Q2 looked overjoyed, so Frances smiled.

It was uncomfortable, to say the least, so when Q2 flitted off with Ichi2, to complete his side of the bargain, Frances felt far more comfortable immediately.

"So I'm staying?" Frances asked. No words passed Icheb's gorgeous lips, but he smiled and nodded, and that was enough.


End file.
